Philanthropist Rita Cosby

Rita Cosby is one of the most recognized and respected broadcasters in America and has been quoted and profiled by hundreds of media outlets across the country and overseas.

She is a renowned Emmy-winning TV host, veteran correspondent and multiple best selling author, who anchored highly rated primetime shows on Fox News Channel and MSNBC. She is currently a special correspondent for the top-rated CBS syndicated news magazine, Inside Edition, does frequent hosting and reporting for CNN/HLN, and hosts “The Rita Cosby Show” on the legendary WABC Radio, the most listened to talk station in America. In 2014, she was named by Radio Ink Magazine as one of the Most Influential Women in Radio, and in 2015, she was honored with two prestigious Gracie Awards for both “Outstanding Host” and “Outstanding Talk Show.”

Because of Rita’s “extraordinary journalism and exemplary service on behalf of her community,” October 11th, 2010 was officially named “Rita Cosby Day” in the State of New York. In 2011, she was recognized by the US Congress for her professional and charitable achievements.

“My Father’s Path to Freedom”

I have been blessed in my career to meet many extraordinary people, often previously unsung heroes, who are doing remarkable and selfless things for often people they do not know. I think these individuals, coming from all walks of life, are what drive me to try to make a difference any way I can. Having been to many corners of the earth in my journalistic work, I have seen firsthand the need to improve communities is great, whether it’s due to poverty, the plight of natural disasters or even human trafficking. Beyond my work on air, whether it’s TV or radio, I have always felt the least I can do is lend my voice.

There are many wonderful charities I have been involved with over the years including St. Francis Food Pantries, D.A.R.E., American Friends of Laniado Hospital, Blue Card, National Meningitis Association, Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, ACE (Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless), David Lynch Foundation, Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club, USO and Wounded Warrior Project. These last ones have a deep, personal meaning to me and my own family history and reinforce why I love this country so much and what it represents to the world.

My own journey started when I was a young child and first recognized seeing the scars on my father’s body, etched like cracks in dried mud. Being an inquisitive child, I asked my mother about them, and she quickly responded that my father went through tough timed growing up, and “we don’t talk about it.” The door was closed for literally decades until a startling discovery only a few years ago of an old tan, battered suitcase… and the contents inside that changed my life forever.

Richard Cosby 1945 Polish Second Corps

Rita and her late father, Richard Cosby

I found a red and white fighting Polish armband, covered with blood and dirt, also a card with codenames on it, a rusty tag with a prisoner number emblazoned on it… and a card of an ex-POW named Ryszard Kossobudzki. At that moment, I was overcome with emotion and the revelations before me. I knew it was time to learn all I could about my aging father’s secret past before it was too late. What I learned from my father filled me with immense pride for his courage, and for the bravery of the US troops who saved his life.

He was 13 when the Nazis brutally attacked his beloved homeland of Poland and at age 15, my father decided to stay and fight, knowing the chances of survival against this ruthless enemy were slim. After more than five years of war and months in a POW camp, my father escaped, weighing just 90 pounds and standing nearly six feet tall. An American pilot finally spotted the walking skeletons and sent down a note wrapped around a chocolate bar, tied with a red ribbon, saying they had 15 miles to walk and “you’re free.” The starving POWs ran to a riverbed, and on the other side, were young GIs who told them their nightmare was finally over. My Polish father knew few words in English and could only say “thank you.” But he knew immediately that the United States is the greatest country in the world because it represents freedom and security not just for the people of Poland, but for everyone.

Rita Cosby with Afghanistan US Troops

I have always profoundly appreciated our military men and women and often seen them in action in remote war-torn regions of the world. But since learning of my father’s incredible journey, every time I see a young person put on that uniform, I wonder what persecuted individuals they may save in devastated parts of the globe and if these young faces look similar to the ones my father saw across that riverbed on the luckiest day of his life. For this reason, I often wipe away tears when I greet our active duty troops or veterans, as they are constant reminders of the best this country represents. These are people, like my father, willing to die for freedom, not just for our country, but for others they don’t know, thousands of miles away. They fight with bullets and tanks, the least I can do is fight passionately with a microphone to make sure these heroes and their families are never forgotten.

Rita Cosby wrote a bestselling book about her father entitled, “Quiet Hero”.